Successful real estate agent heads into third year

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY—Red Rock Indian Band’s Christopher Cheney is enjoying his third successful year as a real estate agent in the Thunder Bay area.

“It’s crazy but I love it,” Cheney says. “It’s difficult but it’s very rewarding.”

Cheney says his first year at Royal LePage Lannon Realty was “pretty good.”

“I made a living,” Cheney says, noting he supported his family of four kids and wife with his earnings. “The first year was really difficult. It’s a learning curve, right. You’re dealing with so many people and so many different factors at a time. It’s very important work, so you’ve got to do it right.”

Cheney says his earnings have been growing each year.

“The second year was even better (than the first),” Cheney says. “And this year just feels amazing. It’s going to be the best one ever.”

Cheney says it takes a while to get to know what the clients are looking for in a home.

“As time goes on you learn that skill and you become very good at it,” Cheney says. “It’s a pretty fast pace sometimes. If somebody sees something they like, you have to be ready to accommodate them as soon as possible because there is a chance they will love the house.”

Cheney says most clients who are looking to buy a home will know within 10 seconds of walking in the door if they like or don’t like it.

“You just have to be on the ball and tend to their needs,” Cheney says. “There’s no pressure. It’s just a yes or no answer. If it’s a no, you just simply cross it off the list.”

Cheney says there is more pressure when a client is selling their home, but when the house is marketed correctly and it sells for more than the asking price, that is the “good business.”

“They are going to refer you to other people,” Cheney says.

Cheney’s clients range from first home buyers to estate sales to investors looking to purchase a big apartment building.

Cheney enjoys learning new things every day as a real estate agent.

“In this type of business, you’re essentially working for yourself,” Cheney says. “You’re your own small business, so you just go ahead and you jump in.”

Cheney says Royal LePage Lannon Realty has the “best support team” in Thunder Bay.

“You have everything from managers to assistants,” Cheney says. “They really have your back. That is why we’re the best. We do more than half of all sales in Thunder Bay.”

Cheney initially pursued a career as a police officer before working with the federal government. He was hired on as a real estate agent at Royal Lepage Lannon Realty after applying for a different job with the realty company.

“Obviously I didn’t get the desk job, but he called me in and he wanted me to sell houses,” Cheney says. “I couldn’t believe it when the manager of Royal Lepage asked me to sell houses. I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur or as a businessman. But for somebody of that caliber to look at me and ask me to join their team, I couldn’t say no.”

Cheney studied real estate courses through correspondence and completed his final exam at a testing centre at Confederation College. He says it is expensive to start up a business as a real estate agent.

“It’s not cheap,” Cheney says. “You have licensing fees, and all of that education, you have to pay for that out of your own pocket.”